Argentina didn’t miss Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez and other key players on Friday and beat Uruguay away 1-0 in convincing fashion in their South American World Cup qualifying match.
Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot from the edge of the box, putting the defending champions one point away from its direct spot in the tournament next year.
Argentina leads the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure its place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday. The team of coach Lionel Scaloni already has 15 points ahead of 7th-placed Bolivia, with only five rounds to the end of the competition.
The last time the two soccer powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Earlier, Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-1 and moved into second place in South American World Cup, edging close to reaching the tournament once again.
Brazil is third with 21 points, one ahead of Uruguay and Paraguay. Colombia, with 19 points, has the sixth position.
The top six teams will secure direct berths to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an international playoff.
No Messi, no problem
Argentina had to accommodate key absences beyond Messi. Lautaro Martínez, Lisandro Martínez, and Rodrigo De Paul did not play in Montevideo. So coach Lionel Scaloni gave a place to Giuliano Simeone in the starting lineup, with Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada up front.
Uruguay, playing in a full Centenario Stadium against its archrival, took the initiative and had the clearest chances in the first half. But Argentina managed to hold its ground and started getting the better opportunities after halftime.
Almada's goal in the 68th minute, after Argentina had wasted several other opportunities in front of goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, still didn't push Uruguay forward as Marcelo Bielsa's team finished the match with only four shots on goal.
“I was a little anxious, very willing to play and to show why I was making the squad,” said Almada, a world champion with Argentina in 2022. “Now we have to rest and wait for this match against Brazil, they will rest one more day than us.”
Argentina's Nico González will miss the match against Brazil. He was sent off after a challenge against Nahitan Nández in injury time.
Brazil has selection problems of its own for Tuesday's match at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium, as starting goalkeeper Alisson, defender Gabriel Magalhães and midfielder Bruno Guimarães are all ineligible to play.
Argentina coach Scaloni celebrated his team's performance despite so many absences.
“We made a complete match, we absorbed the pressure. When we had to play, we did it. And when we had to defend, we did it too,” Scaloni said in a press conference. “I am happy not only for our win, but also for how the team behaves.”
Uruguay will have a chance to recover against Bolivia on Tuesday. If the Bolivians fail to beat the Uruguayans, Argentina will qualify for the World Cup even if it loses against Brazil.
Valencia brace
Enner Valencia, Ecuador's all-time top goal-scorer, added another two to his tally on Friday.
The striker broke through the Venezuelan defense in the 39th minute and scored with a powerful right-footed shot from an acute angle. In the first minute of the second half, he added the second after a run on the left flank ended in a classy poach over goalkeeper Rafael Romo.
Valencia could have had a third from the spot in the 69th but he missed it.
Jhonder Cádiz scored for Venezuela in injury time.
Venezuela has not won for nine straight games and remains in eighth place. The team still has a chance of qualifying for the first time in history.
Ecuador started the competition with a three-point deficit due to fielding Byron Castillo, who was actually Colombian and ineligible to play in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Now it is close to returning to the tournament in with a steady, confident squad.
Ecuador will travel to play 10th-placed Chile on Tuesday. Venezuela will play host to 9th-placed Peru.
